KARACHI: A division bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) comprising Justide Munib Akhtar and Justice Muhammad Humayun Khan on Wednesday put off hearing as counsel for a petitioner was unable to justify the release of his client’s consignment without obtaining certificate from Climate Change Division, Government of Pakistan (GoP).

The bench earlier heard counsel for petitioner Brothers Recycling Unit who filed the petition against FBR, Collector, Deputy Collector (Appraisement) and Additional Collector Customs of MCC, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim on ground that while dozens of his consignments were released by the custom officials even after 18th amendment, his consignments (8 containers) landed in Oct 2016 have been detained by the Customs officials who are asking the petitioner to approach the Climate Change Division for release of the goods.

The petitioner maintains that the Order in Original was also in his favour but the goods consisting of old and used tires to be used at his Pyrolysis plant for making carbon and oil were being detained under an arbitrary direction.

Masooda Siraj advocate appearing for the Collector Customs PMBQ contended that as per import policy and other laws (Environmental), the petitioner is bound to take approval prior to any import as during recycling or pyrolysis hazardous emissions are common polluting the environment. The petitioner must have approached the concerned division before making any imports, she contended opposing the prayers in the petition.

The counsel for petitioner was unable to satisfy the court on the issue of environmental degradation due to his business at which the bench allowing time to prepare and answer the queries of the bench in respect of ecology and environment due to recycling of the tires at the facility of the petitioner put of hearing to a date to be fixed later by the office of the court.